Mount Hermon, Here I come!

I’m running around today, finishing all those last minute details before flying out tomorrow to attend the Mount Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference. This is my second year attending the conference. To keep my nerves in check, I keep reminding myself of the amazing things that happened last year. I kept my expectations low, but God blew my socks off. I need to remember that I’m not going alone.

For those of you who are new to my blog, here is an edited version of what happened last year:

Well, my week at Mount Hermon is almost done and I have been blessed beyond my wildest dreams. I arrived Thursday scared out of my wits. I felt a bit like a freshman on her first day of high school and I was pretty certain that at any minute I would be shoved into a locker or duct taped to a flagpole.

Imagine my shock (surprise? delight?) to learn that this conference is not the intimidating, competitive scene that I had been dreading. The people here (writers, editors, agents, mentors, etc) are supportive, friendly and real. They want to see you succeed. They worship and pray with more intensity than they “network.” It’s remarkable. This conference is not only about the business of writing, it’s about the call of writing. It’s about furthering the kingdom. One person praying tonight at the main session said it best, “Thank you Father that my name is already on a book — the book of life.” Wow. That’s really sums it up.

Here are some more blessings:

By Saturday’s lunch, I was feeling completely overwhelmed and on the brink of tears. At lunch and dinner meals, you choose which editor/agent/faculty table you want to sit with and “impress.” I wasn’t feeling impressive and did not want ruin my future chances with a book editor, so I tagged along with a friend and sat at the table with a representative of Guideposts Magazine. I knew she would have no interest in my book, so I could eat in peace, reveling in my misery. While there, we began talking about my blog and I told her about one of my posts. She said, “That’s great. I want you to write it up and send it. That’s a Guideposts story.”  [That story became Birthday Wish, printed in Guideposts in February 2010.]

Isn’t that just like our God? Feeling down? Feeling discouraged? Boom! How about something unexpected to bring some delight to your day?

After lunch, I walked downstairs to retrieve my critique submissions. Critiques are always a useful tool, but they are often emotionally difficult to read. I wanted to enjoy the feeling of success for awhile longer, so I put them away to read later. After about an hour my curiosity got the better of me and as I walked to another workshop, I pulled them out. Scrawled on the top was this note: “I showed this to ____ agent and she wants to meet with you.”

I had to sit down and read that a dozen more times.

God is so good to us. I did not walk away from the conference with a contract. But, I didn’t expect really expect that. What I did walk away with was new friends, a better knowledge of “the business,” the possibility of an article submission, a sense of what I needed to do next, new direction on my book and most of all… HOPE.

I can’t wait to see what I have to report this year! I will try to post some updates from Mount Hermon over the next week. Stay tuned!